Certain off-road vehicles, such as snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), may be equipped with track systems which enhance their traction and floatation on soft, slippery and/or irregular grounds (e.g., soil, mud, sand, ice, snow, etc.) on which they operate.
For instance, an ATV may be equipped with track systems in place of ground-engaging wheels with tires for which it may have been originally designed. Traction, floatation and other performance aspects of the ATV depends on various factors, including the track systems.
For example, amongst other things, the traction that the ATV's track system has on the ground depends on a contact interface between the ground and a track of the track system. In some cases, the contact between the ground and the track may be reduced because of the ATV's suspension which may have been designed or set for the ground-engaging wheels with tires, instead of the track systems. For instance, the ATV's suspension may have one or more alignment settings (e.g., a camber angle, a caster angle, etc.) that can negatively affect the traction of the track system on the ground.
Tensioning of the track also plays an important role in performance of the ATV's track system. Although many track systems implement a tensioner to adjust the tension of the track, the tensioner typically provides only a limited adjustment capability that fails to properly take into account various configurations that the track system can have, such as drive wheels (e.g., sprockets) of different sizes depending on the ATV.
Shock absorption is a performance aspect which affects a ride quality of the ATV. Typically, the suspension of the ATV allows a certain degree of shock absorption. However, existing track systems may offer little to no shock absorption for certain impacts and can consequently affect the ride quality of the ATV.
Furthermore, proper installation of the track system on the ATV is essential in ensuring optimal track system performance. For example, when installing the track system on the ATV, certain alignment parameters (e.g., a caster angle, etc.) of the track system should be properly set. To this end, techniques involving measuring are commonly used for properly setting the alignment parameters of the track system. However, these techniques involve an extra step in the installation of the track system and can sometimes be overlooked or incorrectly applied by a person installing the track system. As a result, the track system may be subjected to abnormal wear and a reduced performance.
Similar considerations may arise in other types of tracked vehicles in certain situations.
For these and other reasons, there is a need to improve track systems for ATVs, snowmobiles, and other off-road vehicles.